Disappearance of Mabel Crumback
Mabel Crumback (born 1930) was a Canadian woman who disappeared from her family's home in Toronto, Ontario, during the early hours of 28 May 1950. She was 19 years old and had been caring for her younger brother while other members of the family were out of town. Her disappearance remains unsolved, and she continues to be listed as a missing person by Canada's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains.
Background
Crumback lived with her family at 661 Willard Avenue in York Township, Toronto. She was employed as a bookkeeper in the office of the Eastern Steel Company. She attended St. John's Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and participated in social activities.
She was tall and weighed approximately . She had a fair complexion, curly black hair, dark-brown eyes and a mole beneath her right eye. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a red-and-black plaid shirt, a navy-blue pleated skirt and black suede shoes, but no hat or coat.
Disappearance
On the weekend of 27–28 May 1950, Crumback's parents travelled to Detroit, Michigan, to attend a wedding. Crumback remained at home with her eight-year-old brother Gary. Her boyfriend, Jim Bryan, was the last person known to have seen her. He told police that he left the house at approximately 12:30 a.m. on 28 May and that he found her missing when he returned the following day.
At approximately 2 a.m., Gary awoke after hearing the family dog barking. He later recalled hearing his sister's voice together with the voices of men, followed by thumping on the floor and near the cellar stairs. Neighbours also reported hearing loud voices or other noises coming from the house. When Gary awoke later that morning, his sister was gone.
Both entrances to the house were unlocked, and the door facing St. John Road had been left open. Lights remained on in Crumback's bedroom and in the kitchen. Her bed appeared to have been slept in, and her purse and money remained in her bedroom. Her pyjama bottoms were found folded beneath her pillow, but the matching top was missing. Police found no obvious evidence of violence inside the house.
Investigation
Initial searches and reported sighting
Police, relatives and local residents searched for Crumback after her disappearance. By 16 June 1950, investigators had found no confirmed trace of her.
In June 1950, police investigated a reported sighting at a tourist camp near Ancaster, Ontario. The camp operator's wife, Mrs. Wesley Jenne, said that a young woman resembling Crumback had arrived with a man who had a cleft lip. According to Jenne, the woman said that the man was holding her against her will and had forced her to bleach her dark hair blond. Police circulated the report throughout western Ontario, but the woman's identity was never confirmed.
Later appeals
In June 1952, Crumback's mother travelled to Montreal and asked the city's missing-persons bureau to assist in finding her daughter. By that time, the family had moved from Toronto to Guelph. Mrs. Crumback said that she believed her daughter had been abducted and was being held against her will; she rejected the possibility that Crumback had deliberately run away. She also stated that Crumback had expected to marry in 1951 and that her interests had included music and sports. York Township police said that they had received no new information from Montreal, although they acknowledged that Crumback might still have been alive.
1956 excavation
In February 1956, police pursued an unusual lead provided by a 42-year-old naval veteran identified only as "Jim". During a public hypnosis demonstration conducted by Galt dentist Harold Mason, the man purported to describe Crumback's abduction and murder. While hypnotized, he named an alleged assailant, described a supposed murder weapon and drew a map to what he claimed was Crumback's burial place. When no longer under hypnosis, he said that he had no memory of making the statements.
The man directed York Township police and the Ontario Provincial Police to an evergreen swamp on a farm near Scotland, Ontario, approximately south of Brantford. Investigators excavated the location on 13 and 14 February but found no human remains.
2004 discovery
In August 2004, a human skull was uncovered during construction work at Swansea Town Hall, approximately from the Crumback home. The discovery renewed public attention to her disappearance and prompted speculation that the remains might be hers. The case nevertheless remained unresolved.
The federal case reference for Crumback's disappearance is 2020040144. The investigating Toronto Police Service file is 1950-999.HOM.
See also
- List of people who disappeared
External links
- Mabel Crumback at Canada's Missing